The default web browser on Android phones and tablets uses the same WebKit rendering engine as the Google Chrome web browser for desktop and laptop computers. But it’s not Chrome.

But today Google has launched the first version of Chrome for Android. It looks like the desktop version of Chrome and features the same omnibox that lets you enter a URL or a search query — with suggestions popping up as you type.

When you sign in with your Google account you’ll automatically be able to access your bookmarks, search history, and other data from the desktop version of Chrome.

There’s also an option to view browser tabs that are open on other devices. If you’re signed into Chrome on your desktop, you can fire up Chrome on your mobile device and quickly open the pages you were just reading on your PC.

Google Chrome requires Android 4.0 or higher to run. I took it for a spin on my HP TouchPad today, and it feels ridiculously fast — especially when visiting pages that it can preload in the background.

Chrome also makes it easy to open an incognito window when you don’t want sites you visit to be saved to you history.

It seems like every other day there’s a new story about some new virus, spyware, or other malware-ridden app finding its way into the Google Android Market, and potentially millions of Android phones and tablets. But just because the Android Market is the Wild West compared to Apple’s App Store walled garden where every app must be approved by hand, doesn’t mean Google doesn’t take malware seriously.

While anyone can publish an Android app to the Market in a matter of minutes, Google is taking steps to scan apps to detect malicious software automatically.

For the last few months Google has already been using a new scanner which is codenamed “Bouncer.” It looks at new apps as they’re uploaded and also scans existing apps and developer accounts to look for potential problems.

Bouncer looks for known malware, but also identifies behavior that could be an indication that something shady is going on. Google says the number of downloads of potentially dangerous apps dropped 40 percent between the first half of 2011 and the second half (when Bouncer was implemented).

So what do you think? Do you feel any safer? Or would you prefer if someone from Google examined each Android app manually before it was added to the Market the way Apple does? Because that’s not going to happen… it’s not how a company that doesn’t even offer customer support works.

Google has started to push out Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Nexus S smartphone. The new software is designed for the GSM/UMTS versions of the phone and over the next few weeks users should receive notifications that an over-the-air update is available.

But you don’t necessarily have to wait.

The folks at xda-developers have found the official OTA update package and posted instructions for downloading it and installing on your phone manually.

Basically all you need to do is download the 128MB file from Google’s servers to your phone, rename the file as update.zip, reboot into recovery mode and apply the update from an SD card.

Since this is an official release and not a custom ROM, you don’t even need a custom recovery such as ClockworkMod to do this.

Android 4.0 brings a new look and feel to the Nexus S and other devices. It also includes a number of new features including:

• Spell-checking
• Improved voice recognition
• Ability to sync your browser bookmarks with Google Chrome on your desktop, as well as an Incognito browser mode
• New Gmail user interface, plus ability to search 30 days of messages even when you’re offline
• Pinch-to-zoom in Google Calendar
• New camera features including support for panoramic photos and basic photo editing
• Contact app has been replaced with a People app which offers social stream updates

Google has also put together a few tips for Nexus S users upgrading from Android 2.3 to Android 4.0. The guide explains some of the differences between the two operating systems and how to perform the same actions using the new user interface.

Google is expanding the Android Market to include music. You can now purchase songs and albums in 320kbps MP3 format from the Android Market on the web. An updated Android Market app for Android 2.2 and up is also starting to roll out.

This means you can now purchase music, movies, books, and apps from the Android Market. But while Google says there are 8 million songs available today and another 5 million on the way, the company still hasn’t signed a deal with Warner Music Group, which means that only 3 out of the 4 major US labels are on board. That means you might not find all the music you want from Google.

The good news is that Google will be offering a free song every day, curated music picks, and exclusive content through partnerships with artists including ColdPlay and The Rolling Stones.

Users will also be able to share songs with their friends on Google+. Your friends won’t just get a link to purchase the song or a 90 second snippet. Instead they can listen to the full track one time.

Google has been beta testing Google Music for the past few months, allowing users to upload as many as 20,000 songs for free. Today the company announced that Google Music is open to everyone in the US and no longer requires an invite. The online storage locker is still free for anyone to use, whether you buy music from Google or not.

Amazon also offers an online music service that lets you store your music in the cloud, purchase tracks, and access them across multiple devices. And Amazon’s service offers music from all four major labels in the US.

But Google is banking on Android Market integration, a curated experience with top music picks, and social sharing to stand out from the competition.

Google has released an updated version of the native Gmail app for iOS. It’s now available as a free download from the App Store.

The Gmail app initially launched about two weeks ago, but Google pulled it almost immediately after users reported that push notifications weren’t working and an error message popped up whenever they first launched the app. I’ve been using the app on my iPod touch for the last few weeks despite these limitations, and I’ve found it to be generally faster and easier to use than the Gmail web app, if not quite as slick as the Gmail app for Android.

Gmail 1.0.2 for iOS supports touch-based gestures that let you refresh your inbox by swiping down, or view your labels by swiping from left to right. You can also send email messages with file attachments.

Google says future updates will improve the way images look, support for multiple accounts, and better notifications.

Google is holding an event on November 16th where the company is expected to launch a music store. But TecnoDroidVe has already managed to get a sneak peek at the Android version of the upcoming music store.

It looks like the music store will be built into the next version of the Google Android Market. In other words, Android phone and tablet users will have a one-stop-shop for downloading music, movies, books, and apps.

While the Android Market is choc full of free apps, you’ll probably have to pay for most of the music offered by Google. But it looks like google will have a “Free Song of the Day” feature where you can grab featured tracks for free.

That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone that’s been using the Google Music beta service. Google provides users with enough online storage space for up to 20,000 songs — but Google also regularly offers small collections of music which users can add to their account for free.

There have been rumors floating around for a few days suggesting that while Google has signed deals with some of the major music labels in the US, the company may not have locked up all the majors yet. A music store is only as good as its selection — and Google will be competing with Amazon MP3, 7digital, and a handful of other companies that already offer digital music stores for Android.

But there’s something appealing about having just one store to visit for music, movies, books and apps — especially if there are freebies available in each category from time to time.

We should know more about the new Google Music store later this week.

via Android Police

It’s been about four years since the iPhone hit the market, and more than three years since the App Store opened for business. So it’s about time Google finally got around to releasing a native Gmail app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad… which is exactly what the company did today.

Update: The app has been pulled from the App Store temporarily while Google fixes a bug. 

Update 11/16/11: And now it’s back and everything seems to be working properly. 

While Google’s mobile web app for Gmail is pretty good, the new app is faster, offers a cleaner look, and adds a number of features that you don’t get with the web app.

You can download Gmail for iOS for free from the App Store.

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Gmail mobile web app

There’s a rumor going around that Google has finally developed an official Gmail app for iOS and submitted it to Apple for approval. It will allow users to send and receive email without firing up a web browser — and it will support push email, which is something the web app simply can’t do.

Don’t get me wrong, Google’s mobile web apps for Gmail, Google Reader, Google Calendar, and other services are excellent demonstrations of just what you can do with a modern mobile web browser.

But a web app doesn’t collect messages for reading offline when the browser is closed. It doesn’t send you notifications when new messages appear. And even if you link the native iOS Mail app to your Gmail account you don’t get Push notifications — or the ability to use Gmail features such as Priority Inbox, starred messages, or labels.

MG Siegler reports that those are likely just some of the features that will be included in the native Gmail app once it’s approved… if it’s approved.

When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, Steve Jobs was almost giddy with excitement over the prospect of the web browser as the most important app. If developers wanted to write apps for the iPhone, all they had to do was create web sites that could be accessed in Mobile Safari.

It didn’t take long for developers to insist that the browser wasn’t good enough, and that they wanted a native software developer kit, and the following year Apple caved, launched the App Store, and the rest is history.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s taken Google four years to jump on board with a native Gmail app. Google shares Jobs’ early vision of web apps replacing native apps, even though the company has been building native apps for Android for the last few years. But the truth is that there are still some things that work best in a native app which is more tightly integrated with the operating system than a browser-based app.

Update: The Gmail app for iOS is now available for download.